Brown and green slime latest blight to hit Diana memorial

It's threatening to become a traditional part of spring. Just as the sun makes a reappearance, so too do problems at the Diana fountain.

Slimy green and brown patches have begun to appear on the granite bed of the memorial to Diana, Princess of Wales.

Stained memory: the granite bed of the Diana fountain in Hyde Park is covered in green and brown slime from decomposing vegetation

It comes after it was revealed yesterday that almost £200,000 was spent maintaining the Hyde Park water feature in the past year.

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Clearly visible, the patches are growing larger by the day and threatening to obscure the stone.

Visitors expressed disappointment at the sight of the slime, apparently caused by the remains of leaves and other vegetation blown into the water.

Pat Welford, 59, from Newcastle, said: "It spoils the effect. The patches make the water look dirty. It's the first thing you notice. The water itself and the design of the fountain are very tranquil."

Businessman Phil Myhre, 57, from New Zealand, said: "The dirty patches aren't in keeping with the stone. It should be kept clean." But his wife Deirdre, 46, said: "Diana wasn't a perfect soul, so why should her fountain be?"

The Royal Parks denied the patches marked a return of the algae blamed for three people injuring themselves by slipping while paddling in the fountain soon after it opened in July 2004.

A spokesman said: "The fountain is cleaned regularly. Recent weather conditions have meant small quantities of leaf matter and other natural materials have been blown into the fountain, giving the appearance of algae.

"However, there are no algae in the fountain water as this is drawn from a 492ft borehole. We do not chlorinate or chemically treat the water as it is fed into the Serpentine."